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On GMAT Quant, huge multiplications can be solved by tracking only the units digit. Ignore the rest of the number and carry forward just the last digit at each step. Recognize patterns such as 2 × 5 giving 0, and simplify with clarity.
In GMAT Quant, some questions look time-consuming at first sight. A long chain of numbers multiplied together can feel impossible to manage. The natural instinct is to start expanding the terms, but that is where many students lose time. The truth is, you never need to multiply everything. What really matters is the units digit. By focusing only on the last digits of the numbers, you can track how the multiplication will end without touching the rest. This small shift in perspective not only saves time but also protects accuracy in the exam. A simple recognition of patterns, like spotting a 2 and a 5 together, can instantly reveal that the product must end with a 0. Sharpening such number sense is what separates the prepared from the panicked. Consistent practice through a GMAT prep course and timed GMAT practice tests helps this approach become second nature.
When you first see a product of many numbers lined up together, it feels overwhelming. Multiplying them fully seems impossible under time pressure. The good news is that you do not need to multiply everything. The test is not about speed-calculation but about smart observation.
The strategy is to focus only on the last digits of the numbers. Each multiplication you perform should be carried out only till the units place. That single digit carries forward to the next step, and everything else can be ignored.
Find the last digit of:
343 x 536 x 6742 x 753 x 879 x 545 x 787
Take just the units digit of each term: 3, 6, 2, 3, 9, 5, 7.
The product ends with 0.
Notice how quickly this unfolded. At the moment you spotted 2 and 5, you could have already concluded that the last digit must be 0.
This technique is not about memorizing tricks but about training your eyes to spot inevitabilities in numbers. Identifying patterns like 2 and 5 together, or recognizing that an even number multiplied by another even will always yield an even, keeps your mind calm. It turns chaos into clarity. The larger lesson is that GMAT Quant is not a contest of brute force but of perspective. The test rewards those who pause, look for structure, and trust their reasoning. Over time, such moments give you speed, confidence, and presence of mind. For a more thorough grounding in these strategies, a structured GMAT crash course can provide the systematic practice needed to internalize them.
The real lesson in finding last digits is not about shortcuts but about perspective. What looks overwhelming at first often becomes simple once you focus on what truly matters. The GMAT is designed to reward clarity of thought over brute calculation. Learning to filter noise, to spot the one detail that decides the outcome, is what builds calmness and accuracy under pressure. These habits carry beyond the exam, shaping the analytical clarity and decision-making valued in the meaningful MBA admissions process and in leadership itself.
